Archives for August 2015

Why Mentoring Matters

Most of us had a formal or informal mentor, or maybe even more than one, over the years, who helped us along the way. What you learned may have related to your professional life, or to more general life issues, or both. But either way, the importance of a good mentor mentee relationship cannot be ignored.

The basis of the mentor mentee relationship is support and trust. It is an exercise in listening for the mentor because a mentor is more of a facilitator or guide, not simply an instructor. And it is not only the mentee who benefits from the relationship. This relationship helps both parties with their own self-awareness and understanding their strengths and weaknesses. By participating in such a relationship, you evolve in many ways that benefit both parties in the long run.

So, depending on where you are professionally or in life, seek out a mentoring relationship now. It will help you grow as a person and, whether you are the mentor or mentee, allow you to play an important role in another’s story.

If you are not sure where to start, feel free to reach out to me.

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Why commitment matters

You have to do what you say you are going to do. Period. If you don’t, people you deal with will not trust what you say and probably not bring you their business or deal with you in the future.

Part of commitment is trust. Are you overselling just to get the job? What are the odds that if you do, you have any chance to succeed? The answer is simple, slim to none. And once you lose someone’s trust, all is lost.

This doesn’t mean you always will be able to meet your commitments. Once you know you may have a problem meeting a commitment, Let the other party know right away. Things happen. Reset expectations. It really is a situation where honesty is the best policy. It will earn you respect even if the other party doesn’t like the change in schedule or expectations. They will know you are a straight shooter.

But try not to let it happen often, or you run the risk of having the people you deal with doubt the commitments you make.

An example is that I committed, when I started this blog, not to overwhelm your inbox with emails posts. I believe I have stuck to that.

This is my first blog post in a few months. In Arizona, everything seems to slow down during the summer until early to mid-August, when school starts. By then, a lot of people are back from vacation, focused and ready for a good run to the end of the year.

I hope you have had a great summer! Here is to a productive Fall 2015!

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